Isuzu sales up 54% amid slow April

Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) continued its growth trend with a 54-percent increase in sales during the first four months, with 6,369 units compared to the 4,154 units recorded during the same period last year – in spite of a 25-percent decline in month-to-month sales.

In a joint report released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers’ of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers’ Association Inc. (TMA), IPC sold 1,439 units in April this year or 32.5 percent higher than the 1,086 units sold in April 2014. However, on a monthly basis, the month of April failed to surpass the 1,917 units recorded in March, or a 24.9-percent decrease.

Despite that, the company still managed to achieve a year-to-date growth of 54 percent that was fueled by the outstanding sales of its SUV model. With a total of 2,971 units sold at the end of April, the Isuzu mu-X is now IPC’s best-selling model for its light commercial vehicle or LCV line-up.

Another major contributor to this remarkable increase is the robust sales of its Category V trucks and buses, or seven units sold in January-April last year to 28 units this year. This improvement can be attributed to the various infrastructure projects by both the government and private sector, which has caused the increase in the purchase of heavy trucks by contractors.

Also, the light- and medium-duty trucks joined this trend, recording a 36-percent increase or 908 units for the Category III and a 53-percent increase or 334 units for the Category IV trucks and buses. Last year, 668 units of Category III and 219 units of Category IV trucks were sold.

“Our SUV and truck sales are what give us the advantage in the first four months of the year. We are continuously putting effort to make sure that our supply will be able to meet the demand, especially for these two segments.” said IPC president Hajime Koso.

However, the same cannot be said for the Crosswind as sales of the AUV reached only 1,230 units from January to April. This fell short of the 1,810 units sold in the same period of 2014. Noticeably, Crosswind’s first two months was sluggish but the model was able to recover in March with the introduction of the 2015 edition.

The D-MAX also can’t keep up with the phase, especially after competitors started introducing the latest models of their pick-ups. Sales of the D-MAX reached 925 units compared to the 1,292 units last year, or a 28.4-percent drop in sales. With the introduction of the 2015 model, IPC is hopeful that it will be able to make sales gains in the following months.

“Generally April is a slow month not just IPC but for the industry. Looking at the bigger picture, our sales are more than 50-percent compared to 2014 – which is a great achievement.” Koso said.

“With the rate we are going, it is not far that we will reach the 18,000-unit target even earlier than scheduled,” he added.